As well as Valentine’s Day on 14 February and the traditional Qixi festival, China also has another love-based festival, 520 or 20 May. When you pronounce the numbers “520” (wǔ èr líng) in Chinese, they sound similar to the words “I love you”（wǒ ài nǐ).
This year, brands have been quick off the mark to begin promoting their 520 campaigns
This year, brands have been quick off the mark and many began promoting their campaigns for 520 at the beginning of May. Consumers have also clutched onto the festival early. Weibo users have already been discussing gaming giant Honor of Kings‘ 520 limited-edition skins for players prior to the announcement about their release.
In the run-up to 520, we take a look at how brands appealed to consumers last year in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19.
Luxury brands seize on 520 after 2020 COVID sales slump
Luxury brands were among the hardest hit by COVID-19 with analysts predicting that the luxury market could reduce by up to 35% in 2020. 520 took place just after China’s COVID-19 outbreak and so was a perfect opportunity for luxury brands to launch a campaign to boost sales and grow their brand among Chinese customers.
Several Western luxury brands got on board releasing 520 campaigns – GUCCI launched podcasts featuring Chinese celebrities sharing their first experience of buying or receiving a GUCCI product. Hermes launched a WeChat Mini-Program campaign which allowed users to select gifts that the brand then recommended to their loved ones.
However, the luxury brand which made the biggest impact on Chinese consumers last year was Prada’s “520 Mathematics of Love” campaign.
Romantic tale featuring Cai Xukun
To mark 520, Prada launched a content-driven campaign with one of the most popular male celebrities in China, Cai Xukun.
The short film, Mathematics of Love, shows how Cai expresses love through a series of numbers – each with a hidden meaning.
“100 hours thinking of you”
“8 cakes made for you”
“12 new songs written”
“85 attempts to pick the perfect gift”
“40 tulips planted”
“75 meters of ribbon to wrap your gift”
“1 hour set for our date”
“130 heart beats per minutes”
All the numbers are linked to Cai’s love and romance and when added together equal 520 i.e I love you.
Prada offers a personal touch
Consumers could receive a customised personal poster and select gifts for their loved ones
The campaign did not just comprise of the video and posters that were based on Cai Xukun’s story and were promoted on social media.
Prada’s audience could also receive a customised personal poster in the same design as Cai’s if they uploaded a picture through a special link. In addition, Prada allowed consumers to select gifts for their loved ones on their website and WeChat Mini-Program.
Creating a localised campaign
More and more luxury brands are realising the importance of localisation in campaigns. By appealing to cultural differences and differing consumer behaviour and habits, brands can expand their audience, increase engagement and develop brand loyalty.
Localised celebrity endorsement
Working with Chinese celebrities, like Cai Xukun, is more likely to develop brand traction and engagement
Despite being a Western brand, Prada chose a Chinese celebrity, Cai Xukun, who is well-known and well-loved among female Chinese consumers, to endorse their campaign.
Working with celebrities who share the same nationality and language as Chinese consumers is more likely to develop brand traction and engagement as they are generally better known among Chinese audiences and have a presence on Chinese social media sites.
The inclusion of Cai meant that the campaign appealed to his fans in addition to Prada’s audience, resulting in more people viewing the campaign and increasing brand awareness.
Localised social networks
Prada promoted its 520 campaign on Weibo, WeChat, Douyin and their official Chinese website. Using a variety of platforms and formats (video, images and gifs) helped them reach a wider audience and appeal to Prada lovers on different channels.
In addition, Prada launched various activities specific to each channel that their audience could participate in. For example, users were able to get a personalised poster on Weibo and access a pop-up shop exclusively through Prada’s WeChat Mini-program.
#Prada520 gains 600 million views
The campaign drove many customers to pre-order 520 presents from Prada
Cai Xukun attracted many female consumers to the campaign and the creatively produced romantic story was praised by netizens. As a result, the campaign drove many customers to order 520 presents from Prada in advance.
The campaign exploded on social media with the hashtag ‘#Prada520‘ gaining 600 million views and 3.24 million comments on Weibo. On average, posts on Prada’s Weibo related to their 520 campaign hit over 50,000 likes and 10,000 comments. In addition, over 11,000 Weibo followers generated their own personal 520 posters.
Embracing the spirit of 520
China’s wealth is dominating the global luxury market, and, by 2025, Chinese consumers are predicted to make up half of all luxury sales.
Prada’s 520 campaign showed how luxury brands can successfully market to different target audiences of Chinese consumers via a variety of formats and platforms. As well as working with a Chinese celebrity, Prada’s key stronghold was to launch a campaign that encapsulated the spirit of a special Chinese festival, 520.
Read more about luxury in China:
